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15 People Worth Following on Twitter

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are changing the landscape of communication. You no longer need an expensive marketing campaign with targeted press releases to get out your message to thousands of listeners. Savvy independent personal trainers and health coaches are now able to enhance their own brand and message, often comparable to the big box fitness centers or “expert” health advisors.

Those of you that have read my previous blogs know that I am passionate about using technology and social media to help trainers and coaches become more effective in your business. One of my areas of research is Twitter, and to help you understand the power of information sharing this platform, I’ve created a list of industry professionals just like you who are active on Twitter and provide insight, motivation and the occasional insight into their personal life.

One of the challenges that we as fitness and health professionals face on a daily basis is the constant onslaught of misinformation toward the general public. Messages promising quick weight loss, six-pack abs, a bikini body or that elusive magic pill that cures everything from high blood pressure to diabetes find their way into our inbox, Facebook feed and Twitter stream. This misinformation often causes “social media noise,” which obscures the relevant and important messages that can impact your training or coaching business and the lives of your clients.

In a recent post on the ACE Fit website, I introduced Twitter Lists, where you can follow a group of like-minded users. For this post, I added some of my favorite Twitter users onto a public list—you can find it on my Twitter page (@tedvickey) under lists: FitProsWhoTweet. This isn’t a top 10 list—there were no selection criteria. These are simply active Twitter health and fitness professionals.

I suggest following this list and sharing those tweets that you find interesting to help build your own Twitter following and make some global introductions of like-minded industry peers.

Did I forget anyone? This list is public, so please feel free to add your own favorites.

Bill’s scientific foundation, understanding of functional anatomy and the ultimate potential of the human body provides the platform for his ongoing quest to reach the masses, including through Twitter.

If there is a Hall of Fame for the fitness industry, Shannon Fable is in it. As the 2013 IDEA and 2006 ACE Group Fitness Instructor of the Year, she has her finger on the pulse of the day-to-day challenges within group exercise—and she isn’t afraid to share about it on Twitter.

Her Twitter bio says it all—a Master Trainer for Schwinn, BOSU, Shockwave and Gatorade. I have no idea when Julz sleeps or has time to Tweet.

Anyone who admits on their Twitter bio that they are goofy goes on my list. Add in her insights on TRX and fitness training, along with her Huntington’s Disease activism, and you get Shana.

I’ve watched Mike grow into a very successful trainer over the years, and his Twitter feed keeps me inspired with a daily dose of motivation.

To me, Carissa and her husband Kyle are a success story. They started their dream in 2011 to train and inspire their clients in Orlando and around the world through their blog, Facebook and Twitter. Congrats to Carissa for recently becoming a registered dietitian!

Martinus started as a 338-pound grad student in health promotion, who always felt tired after walking a flight of stairs. Then he transformed his life in front of his Twitter followers and is now a marathon runner—now THAT is inspiration.

From the great state of Minnesota comes Lee Hersh, who shares her yoga tips and healthy recipes on her blog and on Twitter. Need a workout idea? Check out her #WOD (workout of the day).\

I am biased when it comes to Tyler, because I take credit for teaching him how to use HootSuite to manage his social media accounts. Bias aside, Tyler is the driving force behind one of the best hospital-based wellness programs in the U.S. Follow his Tweets to find out why.

Tamara is one of my favorite Canadian fitness professionals (she has a Ph.D. in biology, too!). She is a wife, mother of three, knitter (and fancy yarn collector) who tweets about clean eating, healthy living and accountability.

We’ve all had that client who wants the science behind why to exercise. Follow Kristen so you can retweet the answer!

When you combine a certified personal trainer with a certified nutrition and fitness coach and a registered yoga teacher who loves all things competitive on a quest to find tasty and healthy recipes, then you get Casey.

Liz is my superhero journalist seeking truth, justice and the American healthy way. Add in her books and you have a media star sharing health information that is based on real science and delivered in a truthful manner. (BTW, she follows back!)

Stephen is a health and wellness academic who studies games and technology, so of course he needs to be on my Twitter list. His tagline is “Connecting PE Geeks Everywhere.” Even on Twitter.

Can’t get into one of Dr. Pagoto’s classes at UMass? Probably because she is the type of professor everyone wants to learn from. Lucky for us, she shares her wit and wisdom on Twitter and has more than 1,000 reasons to exercise.

By Ted VickeyTed Vickey

Ted Vickey, M.S., is the Senior Consultant - Fitness Technology for ACE. He’s been an ACE Certified Personal Trainer since 1992 and has been called “one of the most connected men in fitness.” He currently serves as Senior Advisor for Disruptive Health Technologies at the Canyon Ranch Institute and is a member of the Board of Directors for FIT-C. He holds a BS in exercise science from Penn State and a MS in international business with an emphasis on entrepreneurship from the University of Limerick. After serving as the Executive Director of the White House Athletic Center under the Bush, Clinton and Bush administrations and building a successful corporate fitness management company, Ted decided to live his bucket list and move to Ireland to golf and begin work on a doctorate degree in technology and fitness from National University of Ireland at Galway. His Ph.D. in Engineering with research in physical activity, social networking and mobile technology is expected in 2014.